


Erasure

by Sociopathbrony



Series: Jäger Backstories [1]
Category: Girl Genius (Webcomic)
Genre: Backstory, Character Death, Character Study, Childhood Trauma, Kidnapping, Other, Psychological Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-23 01:15:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17673626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sociopathbrony/pseuds/Sociopathbrony
Summary: The old Heterodynes were vicious, going around Europe plundering, not even conquering. And with Mechanicsburg only being brand new, it was common and reasonable enough to take children as spoils of of a raid. Adults and teens would resist too much, children are still moldable. One jäger happens to take quiet a liking to two kids he finds and ends up adopting them, with some additional support from others in the pack.





	1. Dresses and War

“ Mama, Mama! Audris's steallin my dresses again!” The shriek somehow escaped the small girl's figure that barrelled down the stairs and into her mother's apron. She placed a hand on the girls head and sighed. There was no same way of dealing with these two. 

“Audris, come down with your pants on!” She called up.

“I don't wanna wear pants today, I want a dress!”

No same way. She managed her way upstairs even with the small girl seemingly being under every foot step and babbling like a brook.

“Mama, what you gonna do? Does Audris gettin punished? Are we still goin out today? Is they gonna take him away yet cause at this point I think it'd be good.”

“Oh don't say that honey. We don't want your brother being taken away, even if he upsets you sometimes, kay?” she scooped the girl into her arms then pushed open the door to the children's shared room. The floor was a mess of blankets but that was rightfully expected. The few pants strewn on the floor were more of a sight. She set her daughter down to start picking up the clothing.

“Come on, Audris. You need to get dressed, like a proper young man that you'll be someday.”

“But I like dresses better, pants are so stuffy.” Said the gift of hair behind the bed. She set down on the bed opposite him and lay the clothes out, patting them smooth.

“You've outgrown your dresses, now it's time for pants.”

“Why does Paix still get to wear dresses?”

The truth to that question weigh too much. A mother could hardly say her daughter can still wear dresses because doing so won't result in prosecution by death to their mother for attempted avoidance of the draft, regardless of age. She couldn't say that with what little they could scrape together, the ostracization of letting her son were dresses suited to a young lady, the only size that would fit at this age, would cripple them and she wouldn't know if there is a next meal. She couldn't explain the wretched stigmatization built up against leaving one's gender roles for pursuit of happiness, but it's all she had.

“Paix gets a dress because she's a girl, just how you get pants for being a boy. A proper young man. My little soldier right? Come here” she pat the bed again.

The crumpled face in a frown peeked over at her hand and lap before slowly crawling on the bed to join her. “Why can't I be a girl then?” he grumbled.

“Do you want to? Or do you just like your sister's dresses?”

“The dresses” he shoved his face into the fabric of the skirt as he glared at the trousers.

“How about this, if you behave well,wear your big boy pants when we go out, you can change when we get back and run around inside to your content. A hand slid through the thick hair he sported, thanks to his mother, and ruffled it. “Sound good?”

There were only grumbles in reply but he slid off her lap and stripped to put on the shirt and pants offered on the bed.

“Now you young lady” she turned to Paix who had been waiting patiently. “I want you to apologize for yelling. You know your brother is having a hard time with this, you ought to try and help him, not make it some game of accusation.”

“But I was just tellin you so you'd know cause you got upset before and it's wrong of him!”

“And good job on keeping me informed, but in some cases, it's not necessary. In this case, you should help him. You remember the three reasons for telling me any of your actions?”

She sighed. “If I'm injured, if he's injured or if the consquishes are really bad.”

“Because…”

“Because if it was a small thing, we should take our respoonsinility.”

She smiled at the words “Alright. Now come here, we have errands to run. You ready, Audris?” She stood to pick Paix up and looked over to Audris still on the bed messing with his shoes but finally getting them on.

“Yep, let's go, let's go so we can get back home.” He hopped down to pull his mother's skirt to the door. She willingly followed down the stairs and grabbing the basket on the way out the door.

 

The streets were busy for the time of day; with reports that the Heterodyne army was getting closer, people were stocking up and preparing for the inevitable. She solemnly prayed for her husband out fighting as she made her way through the market with a fake smile for her children and the stall keepers. Paix commented thoroughly, right by her ear, on everything she saw as Audris dragged her along. Other than the looming danger, it was just another Friday. A one legged, ragged looking man slowly embraced his wife in the corner of her vision.

“Mama, when's Papi comin home?” Paix’s excited hopeful tone felt like a stab. Just another thing she couldn't tell them.

“I'm not sure, but hopefully soon.”

“You said soon last year” she grumbled.

“An’ before that” Audris dronely added.

“And in comparison to how grand the world we live in is, then who knows how long ‘soon’ really is. But he will come back.” gentle kisses were placed on either head, leaning down over Paix still held to her hip to reach Audris.

“Yeah, he gon’ come back from fightin’ the Heterodynes an’ be famous!”

“That he will sweetie Pai. But first, I need food to cook for dinner.”

 

The resistance was failing rapidly, it was a miracle it had lasted as long as it had, but the battle was a losing one, and the only way she knew that is talk had spread like a wildfire causing chaos for evacuation, even when there was nowhere to go. It was impossible to dissuade her children from questions. 

“What happens if the monsters get here? What happens to us?” Audris’s small hands clenched the blanket she pulled it over his shoulders. Paix was eerily quiet and there was nothing her mother could do to ease either of them far enough from the pain for her comfort.

“I'll protect you, I promise.”

“But what if you're not here?”

“I will be.”

“But if you're not?”

An idea. It wasn't much, by far it wouldn't be enough if the scenario did arise that she couldn't protect them, but for now maybe it'd keep the nightmares at bay.

“Wait here.” She got a butter knife from the kitchen and brought it back up, handing it to Audris. “Monsters really only attack people they know they can beat or who they don't respect yeah?”

“Ok…”

“So if I'm not here when the monsters come, show them who's the man of the house while Papi's gone.”

“Am I cuttin them? Like carrots?”

“Yes dear, just, be careful, be careful.” She reached up to ruffle his hair, thankful that the darkness shrouded her solemn expression. The monsters wouldn't care about a knife, they'd more likely eat her children than anything. But she had a few more days with them before they broke through, she had until then to figure a plan. “You know that I love you right?”

“Yes Mama.” He curled up under the blankets, leaning into the hand on his head.

“You too Paix. I love you too. Both of you so much.” She leaned over to kiss each one the head before getting up to close the door for the night.

“Good night, darlings.”

“G'night Mama” replied both sleepy voices.


	2. Children's Hearts

It was at the dead of that night, mere hours before the sun would come up, that they came into town. Quiet at first before before the explosions started. They came from a different direction than the battle and they broke into homes and ransacked everything, killing everyone who resisted and some who didn't.

The door splintered with a crash and she bolted straight up. She grabbed the pan she had put by her bed just in case and walked straight into the common room.

“Ho, hallo, dere's de resistance. Und here by tight mebbe hy vould have to have a brorink ravagink.”

The words sounded wrong as he spoke, accented in a weird way, but understandable to make her mad and go in with he pan. She ran and was going to smack that terrible creature's face off. Something wrapped around her ankle instead dropping her straight to the floor. The green scaled man looked over her liking sharp teeth. He brought his clawed hand up. She tried anything, swinging and trying to escape, screaming, but that claw came down at her throat and she felt it rip down through her chest. Blood choked her as breathing against her ribboned chest became painful.

“Please, don’ hurgh’…”

“Oh, dere's odders? How fon.” He drew his hand back and jabbed straight through her ribs, cracks and screams ringing in her ears. He wrapped his terrible hand around her heart,she could somehow almost feel it even as her vision was blacking from pain and blood loss, possibly only stay awake from will. And he tugged but there was nothing she could get out as her vision finally went dark and he yanked the slowly pumping organ off of it's tubes attached. 

He stood as they dangles from his hand, heart stilled now, blood gushing onto the floor.

 

A figure maneuvered through the battered doorway to join the first jäger. He raised an eyebrow at the short dangling veins and arteries that were still spurting blood on the floor and flip one of his swords in his hand.

“Hyu beink a bit dramatic dere?” He lightly judged.

“Did hyu hear her screamink? Dat vas fun! Und Hy think by gots sometime hilarious planned.” The devilish smile was contagious and the other reflected it.

“Und vhats dat?”

“By vas tinkink sometink like, showing de kids deir Mamma's heart und saying 'she poured her heart into protecting hyu’”

“Ooo, hyu know how to say dat in romansch?”

“Ja, hyu know it?”

He shrugged. “Hy ken pick up some vords. Iz a leetle like Spanish und German mixed together, und hy still use my Spanish zo a leetle.”

“Vell gym goink to see if mine is good enough fer de kiddos, come on.” He waved the hand still holding the l forward and started for the stairs.

They plundered loudly up the stairs as a foreboding warning, ensuring the children would be well awake and trembling by the time they reached their door. There was little guess work in what room was theirs as the first jäger pushed open one of the only two doors of the floor. The other trailed behind him with a menacing grin for the fun effect of it. The children were frozen on one bed. The girl held her brother tightly who held a butter knife and was trying to make his squishy face look threatening.

“Where's Mama!?” His small voice yelled, and his sister wisely held him back.

“She died, poured all her heart into protectink hyu too.” He presented the heart and dropped it to the floor. The blood cuddled the children's faces into looks of horror.

“Where's Mama!” He yelled again, pale.

“Dead” 

He showed no sign of stopping, neither actually showed any reaction to the word. The jäger turned.

“Hoy brudder, hy don't tink dey gets it trough de accent.”

“Hy don’t know, it sounded pretty clear to me, but hy vouldn't be sorprised.”

“Figures. Such a vaste fer a perfectly goot line. Vas gonna be hilarious.” he kicked the heart across the floor toward the bed. The  veins and arteries trailed blood behind and the children went dead silent unbeknownst to one monster.

He turned back and lightly glared. “Hym shtill telling dis as a shtory hyu know. Und it ends vit de shtabbink ov- vhat are hyu” the other smiled bright and wide and watched as the boy had escaped his sister and came to drive the butter knife into his brudder's leg. He laughed wildly as the other kicked the kid back and pulled his leg up with the knife still in it. “Vot de red fire!? Hyu bug!”

“Hahahahahahaha, ho iz definitely goink to be a goot shtory, de kid has spunk.” He wove around the one leg hopping attempts to see the depth of the wound, which wasn't far the kid wasn't that strong, and scooped up the boy much to his sister's panicked protests.

“Put him down! Don't hurt him, you monster!” She cried from the bed as her brother struggled in his right grip.

He frowned at the unknown words and ignored the scraping on his arm and asked “Hoy, Tilly, vhats de vorld she sayink?” more curious than demanding. “All hy gots vas, mebbe, sometink about de boy, ‘no hurt’ und hay tink she called me a devil. Hy tink hy like dat.” he scooted the boy onto his side and bouced him lightly as the boy tried biting before seeing no way out, instead going stiff.

“She dun vant hyu holdink him or hurtink him, und she basically called hyu devil, ja.” he growled as he finished making sure the stab wound basically stopped bleeding and tried standing normally again, shuddering at the numbness. Knife must've hit an important nerve.

“Ooo, she gots some goot spunk too den. Hokay, hym keeping bot ov dem.”

“Vhat? Come on, dey resisted! Hy vas vantink to skin dem!” Tilly pulled a knife to accent his point and twirled it in his fingers.

“Nope, deys mine now, like vhen  _ hy _ vas a child und Helgi.”

“You're mine pillow tonight” he jabbed the blade in his direction.

“Mebbe after hy tell did vonderful shtory, sí? Vill be like, 'Mal _ édrov _ , vhere hyu find dose dere delicious snacks?’ ‘No touchy, dey's mine tiny persons now, not fer eatink’. First hy chust got to get dem both. Help me vit de gurl.”

Tilly shook his head but stood up anyways, helping to corner the girl on the bed. “Don't kid hyurself, hyur verra stuck beink called Mal.” 

Malédrov stood at the foot of the bed as Tilly came up from the left, arms out.

“Come here, it will be fine.” He forced the Mechanicsburg accent down as much as possible and smiled at the girl, which just resulted in her shrinking back further.

“No, I want Mamma”

“Ho! She understood dat time!”

“Vell hurry op, dere's shtill more raidink to do.” he set the boy on the bed but kept holding him firmly. “Say ve von't hurt her, or her brudder”

The girl ran over as soon as he touched  the bed, and they reached out for each other, giving in to the fact there was no escape. “My- friend here says ve won't hurt your... him” he pointed to the brother. “Ve won't hurt him.” She frowned almost confused at him but nodded and held the small frame closer.

“Dats a lot ov pauses dere.” Malédrov scooped the boy back up, prying him away from his sister and before she could start yelling again brought her up on his other side, close enough so they could reach each other. Neither struggled this time, knowing that maybe it'll be okay.

“Shut it, hy forget how to say brudder.”

“So vhat did hyu  _ call _ him?” He started the way towards the door, Tilly trailed behind, kicking the heart along like a pebble.

“Just him. Hyu on de odders hand vere just un  _ amigo _ .” he picked the heart up by it's veins and arteries, just in case for a weapon.

Malédrov started down the stairs as he sarcasticly judged him. “Ho ja, use de only goes hyu know. Hyu learn dis whole veird language but Spanish? Pffffffff vhy bodder?”

“Mebbe hyu's just a brorink teacher, ja?” They passed through the room with the kid's mother's prone body laying limp and completely mangled at the chest. Tilly detoured to pull part of the rib cage free as a stabbing device and the children grew pale at the blood and crack, hiding in Malédrov's sides.

Malédrov responded by turning and sticking his tongue out before pulling them closer. He kicked the broken door open again, off the other hinge this time and went out into the flaming bright street of chaos, lighting the night like a star had settled on the town to smite it off the earth. The screen were more sparse as corpses lined the dirt street. It had been a small town, nothing much worth keeping around so just standard procedure of raid and leave no survivors, except maybe a few to tell the tales. Or some of the women maybe. Some men if ranks needed. A boost. Some children for population. Really whatever. Normally this far out then they wouldn't take guests or live raw materials, but these kids were fighters. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried making the tone more light, jovial and whatnot with keeping the dark terrible things, like abducting and traumatizing children, murdering a town, cause the Heterodynes (and all of their wonderful monsters) are terrible people. Terrible, and they probably know it, but they like it, so. Feel free to tell me how those it turned out.


End file.
